Monday, May 29, 2017

A deserted hotel in the Brazilian tropical jungle

It is now known as Esqueleto Hotel or 'Skeleton Hotel' because of its eerie appearance but its original name was supposed to be Gavea Tourist Hotel. Its construction began in 1953 in a wooded area between the neighborhoods of Gavea and São Conrado in Rio de Janeiro.

The hotel had reached a height of 16 floors when the construction was halted 19 years later because of a bankruptcy. The massive building was left abandoned and the thick tropical jungle reclaimed much of the area around it.

Eventually, the Skeleton Hotel became home to the moradores na rua (street dwellers) and later, a shelter for criminals who used it to hide weapons stolen from the army. Today, many adventurous locals visit the hotel through a secret path to explore its remains or climb to the top to enjoy the stunning view of the ocean.